Marcie Coffin joins Police Commission

New Police Commission member Marcie Coffin, left, joined Major Stephen Brown, center, and Chief John Roche recently when they presented the police department budget to the Board of Selectmen. —Macklin Reid photo

A bank risk management executive is the newest member of Ridgefield’s Police Commission, the elected civilian body which oversees the police department.

Marcie Coffin, senior vice president in charge of risk management for Ridgefield-based Fairfield County Bank Corporation, was interviewed by the commission and selected to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of longtime commission member Susan Craig late in 2012.

“I think it’s an interesting job that will allow me to give back to the town through my volunteerism, but also help me prepare better for my job,” Ms. Coffin later told The Press.

She’s lived in 15 years, and is married to architect Peter Coffin of the local firm DCA Architects — who is chairman of the Ridgefield Library board and known to many Ridgefielders from his prominent role in the library’s expansion project.

They have two sons, Will, a seventh grader, and Charles in sixth grade.

Ms. Coffin has worked in the field of bank security for 12 years, starting with Ridgefield Bank before a merger made it Fairfield County Bank — and greatly changed her job.

“Because of the way we’ve grown, it certainly has taken on a life of its won. It certainly has changed since I started 12 years ago. It really changed in 2004, when we merged with Fairfield County Savings Bank,” she said.

“Fairfield County Bank has 20 branches now. When I started it was six. So security has taken on a new meaning for me.”

“All our cameras are digital, rather than tape when I first started. Down at our Bridgeport branch we have biometric fingerprint readers that allow customers access to the branch. We’re adding that our Stamford branch.

“We have a quick lock and a closed caption monitor that allows us to see the person trying to enter. The staff can buzz the person in, or ask for ID or ask what business they’re going to conduct at the branch. Sometimes people are just going to get change for the bus. We have some discretion. But those are for our higher risk branches,” she said.

“I also deal with identity theft and check fraud, which I know are things on the rise that the Ridgefield police are dealing with,” she said. “We’ve actually been going around to some elder groups to inform them about the elder abuse scams that are out there.”

Ms. Coffin joins the Police Commission with the hope of helping the department to continue to do its job well.

“I’d like to support their mission, to continue to train, make sure they have the resources they need to do their job efficiently and effectively,” she said. “Make sure that the facility allows them to do their job effectively — equipment and facilities.

“And, of course, school security is something the police aren’t taking on single-handedly, but I’d like to support the commission’s involvement in school security.”